Two Professors
Two Mad Professors
Margaret Hilda Thatcher RIP
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[Politics] Who was the best British Prime Minister of the last 60 or so years?
- Thread starter Biscuit
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #22
Blair??
Record numbers of police, record numbers of nurses, the Good Friday agreement and peace in NI, SureStart centres, national minimum wage and a decade of economic prosperity.
He was also an excellent public speaker who lead his party, rather than being lead by the cabinet/back benches. He would also regularly destroy Major and Cameron at PMQ’s, not something Theresa May could dream of doing.
He gets my vote [emoji1303] a cracking Prime Minister.
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- Thread starter
- #23
You can have a serious, grown-up conversation on what Blair achieved, or you can just shout 'war criminal' and refuse to enter a debate. I'm sensing you're the latter?
Who remembers when the Left were liberal? Before Momentum and hard-line policies? Labour won't win another General Election until it reclaims the centre-ground, something I can't see happening under Corbyn. Blair was right about that, and he's right about Brexit.
He could have been a cracking PM, I'll say that. He wasn't though - he has blood on his hands, and all because he did as he was told by a moronic American president.
Make your mistakes on interest rates, not with other people's lives Blair, you tosser.
I'm left of centre, so Blair should have been my vote. Instead and with hindsight, I'm going with John Major. He was pragmatic and steady, characteristics I want in a PM. I'll even forgive him for his "family values" preaching while he was nobbing that dreadful Edwina Curry behind his wife's back. Proof indeed that power corrupts.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,292
Bliar for cementing Thatcherism into all British politics?
Nixonator
Well-known member
Against debt and war. Blinkered.
Ernest
Stupid IDIOT
Jeremy Corbyn (soon)
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 30,564
As leaders, Thatcher and Blair are head and shoulders above the rest. Both of them had conviction, were strong-willed, they had a vision for the country and they were big players on the global stage.
Cameron - by comparison - lacked vision, conviction and was a lightweight on the international stage. In turn, Theresa May is like Cameron, only worse. Her General Election campaign last year was quite simply shambolic, she is easily the worst leader in the OP's list.
Cameron - by comparison - lacked vision, conviction and was a lightweight on the international stage. In turn, Theresa May is like Cameron, only worse. Her General Election campaign last year was quite simply shambolic, she is easily the worst leader in the OP's list.
- Thread starter
- #29
I agree it was one hell of a mistake. One he's always accepted full responsibility for. Whatever anybody says Blair has been consist in his argument that he felt it was the right decision given the information he had at the time, and the world is better off without Saddam.
I guess when you're in the hot seat for as long as he was you're bound to get one of the massive decisions wrong eventually. It was the biggest decision he had to make as PM, and he got it wrong. I think it's perfectly possible to accept his failings with Iraq but still acknowledge the great things he achieved domestically during his Premiership.
- Thread starter
- #30
Debt? Osbourne spent in three years as much as Blair did in thirteen. Or are you referring to the Global economic downturn which is apparently all Labour's fault?
I'm going for Macmillan. Not only were we at our most prosperous under him, he also sought consensus across the country, it was much less divisive than it is now. He pushed through several social reforms - not least cleaning up the levels of pollution (it's sad to see the UK hauled over the carpet for the quality of its air again).
But most of all because he, almost single-handedly repositioned the UK in the world, shedding its colonial past and giving independence to a host of countries. He looked to establish closer ties with Europe and rebuilt a rapport with the US - he got on well with JFK.
But most of all because he, almost single-handedly repositioned the UK in the world, shedding its colonial past and giving independence to a host of countries. He looked to establish closer ties with Europe and rebuilt a rapport with the US - he got on well with JFK.
- Thread starter
- #32
An outstanding Prime Minister. His "winds of change" speech signalling a re-orientation of British foreign policy. Did wonders for unemployment too.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,292
yep, spending Brown's forward spending budget without the income due to recession, unless you wanted to see real cuts of 1015% across the board.
Lower West Stander
Well-known member
But he hasn't.
He never once admitted he was wrong - which he most definitely was.
You could also argue that the extremely lax financial monitoring policies he and Brown followed were directly responsible for the financial crisis. But he legged it before that came home to roost leaving Brown to carry the can.
I find his recent attempts to stick his nose into the Brexit debate as laughable - still thinks he's important enough to make a difference.
Can't stand him.
studio150
Well-known member
Jim Hacker
SeagullinExile
Well-known member
Not surprising considering he's a war criminal.
GT49er
Well-known member
GT49er
Well-known member
Name them!
On a more serious note, I've had enough of this spurious line of argument. He did nothing illegal in joining the USA in that particular campaign. Yes, it was a f*****g big mistake, but that doesn't make it illegal;